Device for indicating enuresis to prevent bed wetting



June 1943- F. H. JACOBSON 2,321,683

DEVICE FOR INDICATING ENURESIS To PREVENT BED WETTING Filed Nov. 17, 1941 In VE/Y T0 FERN/(H JamBso/Y Patented June 15, 1943 DEVICE FOR. INDICATING ENURESXS TO PREVENT BED WETTING Frank H. Jacobson, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application November 1'7, 1941, Serial No. 419,419

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for preventing enuresis or bed wetting. Many people, particularly children, are inclined to urinate at night and wet their night clothes and the bed clothes, which is undesirable. It is an object of this invention to provide a simple and convenient device which can be attached to the body of the person or patient and which will sound an alarm as soon as the urinating begins so that the person will be awakened and can have relief before the night clothes or bed clothes are seriously wetted.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device in which a thin flexible material such as crepe paper having substantial tensile strength when dry, but having substantially no tensile strength when wet, is used to hold a movable member in position together with resilient means urging said member to move to rupture said material and engage a pair of electrical contacts to sound an alarm.

It is still further an object of the invention to provide such a device as set forth in the preceeding paragraph, said device being enclosed in a casing having an open side through which said flexible material is exposed together with means for holding said casing against the body of the patient with said opening or open side adjacent the urinating organ.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which- Fig. l is a top plan view of the casing used with the device;

Fig. 2 is a partial vertical section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 as indicated by the arrow;

Fig. 4 is a view in end elevation as seen from the right of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view of the means for holding the device on the body of the patient, parts of the device being shown in dotted lines; and

Fig. 6 is a wiring diagram shown showing the arrangement of the device.

Referring to the drawing, a device is shown comprising a frame In formed as a hollow member and comprising a guideway for a member II arranged to reciprocate herein. Frame it! has a rounded or semhcylindrical end portion Illa. A

screw l2 extends between the sides of member In having its head countersunk therein and said screw has mounted thereon a sleeve or cylindrical block l3. Member I is provided at one end with a head portion Ila, the end of which is also rounded or of convexly curved form. Member i l is bifurcated and has extending between the sides or bifurcations thereof cross pieces or ribs llb and Ho. A resilient means is provided adapted to engage frame member In and member II for causing movement of the latter and while various means could be used, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, a rubber band I 4 of common form is shown having its bight ends extending about the block l3 and extending to and around the cross piece or rib lib. Block l3 and rib I lb are provided with suitable grooves H11 and lid in which the strands of said rubber band seat to hold said strands in place and prevent lateral movement thereof. A sheet or strip of thin flexible material I5 is wrapped around the end Ha of member i I, the same extending around the end portion Illa of the frame l0. While various materials might be used, it is essential to have a material which has substantial tensile strength when dry but substantially no tensile strength when moistened or wet. The material should also have little or no stretch when under tension. In practice a common thin crepe paper has been found very suitable. Material l5 may be wound about in several layers or one or more layers may be used and the edges connected by a clip, an adhesive or any other suitable means. Another screw l6 extends between the side portions of frame ll having its head countersunk therein and a, member or block I! is carried by this screw. Block I! is made of insulating material and is engaged by one end of an electrical contact member I8, the same having a curved or convexly curved cam-like end I8a. A block 19 of insulating material engages the opposite side of contact l8 and a second electrical contact member 20 is provided shown as of rectilinear form and having a portion spaced from the end of contact member l8. Screw it passes through contact members l8 and 20 as well as the member l9 and holds the same in place.

A casing ii is provided enclosing the parts described, in which casing frame member ID is disposed. While casing 2| could take different forms in the embodiment of the invention illustrated it is of general rectangular form in plan having its corners curved and the sides thereof converging to substantially a point or line at its other end. Said casing is open at its lower side and has an opening 2ld at its top. At one end of opening 2 Id a portion 2lb extends downwardly to a belt 28 also of fabric or similar material which is adapted to extendabout the waist of the person or patient. Band 26 is shown as divided and having portions 26a adapted to extend around the legs of the patient, the ends of portion 26a also being connected to the .belt 28.

The conductors 22 and 23 connected to the contacts l8 and 20 will be connected to an alarm device 30. This may be an ordinary alarm bell, buzzer or other suitable electrically operated is disposed in conductor 23 to furnish the necessary current. The cord with conductors 22 and 23 extends from the device and the other parts can be suitably disposed in or adjacent the bed in which the patient is sleeping. It will be noted that a large area of the material |5 is exposed through the open side of easing 2|.

In operation, the paper IE) will be placed in position with member II in retracted position. The unit comprising parts I0 to 20 will then be slipped into place in casing 2| on portion 2|b. The device will be secured upon the body of the patient with the open side of housing 2| against the said body so that the exposed portion of the material I5 is closely adjacent to or directly in front of the urinal organ. Should the patient start to urinate in his sleep, the material l5 will be wetted and the resilient means It will then move member rupturing the material l5. Member II in its movement will cause the rib lib, which as shown in Fig. 2, has a cam-shaped or bicuspid form to engage the portion |8a of contact |8 and move the same toward and into engagement with contact 20. This will close a circuit through the alarm device 3|! andthe alarm will be operated and this will awaken the patient. The patient being thus awakened can control further urinating and have relief before there is any serious wetting of the clothing or bed clothes. After each operation the device can be readily arranged for another operation by placing thereon another piece of the material l5 which holds the member II in retracted position. Portion ||a is made of gerater width than the adjacent parts to hold sheet l5 away from the latter, as said sheet might exert some friction when wetted. The portions IO, M and 2| are preferably made of plastic, glass or glass-like material.

From the above description it will be seen that I have provided a very simple, easily operated and highly efficient device of the character described. The device is. of comparatively small size and can be worn by the patient without any discomfort. The device operates quickly at the very first part of the urinating operation and is positive in its operation and in awakening the patient. The device has been amply demonstrated over a long period and found to be very successful and efllcient.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicant's inven-- tion, which generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for preventing bed wetting having in combination, a frame, a member reciprocable longitudinally in said frame, a piece of flexible sheet material having substantial tensile strength when dry but 1 having substantially no tensile strength when wet extending about said member and a portion of said frame, a resilient means engaging said frame and member acting to move said member longitudinally and against the resistance of saidmaterial, an electrical contact on said frame, a second electrical contact movable into engagement with said contact by movement of said member, means for supporting said device on the body of the patient with said material adjacent the urinating or'gan so that when said material is wet or moistened said member will be reciprocated and will rupture said material and engage said contacts to sound an alarm.

2. A device for preventing bed wetting having in combination, a frame, a member longitudinally reciprocable in said frame having an end portion, a piece of flexible sheet material having substantial tensile strength when dry but substantially no tensile strength when wet extending in looped formation about said end portion of said member and a portion of said frame, a resilient means engaging said frame and said member acting to move said member against the resistance of said material, an electrical contact on said frame, a second electrical contact adapted to be moved into engagement with said first mentioned contact by movement, of said member, a housing enclosing said parts on which said frame is carried, said housing having an opening exposing said sheet material and means for holding said device on the body of the patient with said opening in close proximity to the urinating organ whereby whensaid flexible material is wetted said member will move longitudinally and rupture said material and move said contacts into engagement to sound an alarm.

3. A device for preventing bed wetting having in combination, a frame, a member reciprocable in said frame having an end portion, a piece of flexible sheet material having substantial tensile strength when dry but substantially no tensile strength when wet wrapped in looped formation about said end portion of said member and a portion of said frame and enclosing the same, a rubber band engaging said frame and having a portion passing around one end of said member and being under tension acting to move said member against the resistance of said material, an electrical contact on said frame, a second electrical contact spaced from said first mentioned contact and having a portion adapted to be engaged and moved by a portion of said member when the latter is moved for engaging said contacts, an alarm device, a source of current and an electrical circuit including said alarm, said source of current and said contacts, a'casing enclosing and supporting said parts and having an open side through which said material is exposed and means for holding said casing on the body of the patient with said open side adjacent the urinating organ whereby when said material is wet or moistened said member will rupture the same and move said contacts into engagement to sound said alarm.

4. A device for preventing bed wetting having in combination, a frame having a guideway therein, a member having a portion movable longitudinally in said guideway and having a rounded end portion, said frame having a semi-cylindrical portion spaced from said end portion, a piece of thin flexible material having considerable tensile strength when dry but having substantially no tensile strength when wet wrapped in the form of a loop around said end portion, enclosing said member and frame and said semi-cylindrical portion and holding said member in position, resilient means engaging said frame and said memher and tending to move said member against the resistance of said material, an electrical contact on said frame, a second electrical contact spaced from said contact and having a curved cam portion, said member having a portion adapted to engage said last mentioned portion to move said contacts into engagement, a casing enclosing said parts in which said frame is carried, said casing having an open side and means extending about the body of the patient for holding said housing against said patient with said open side adjacent the urinating organ, said flexible material being exposed at said open side so that when the same is wetted said member will be moved to rupture said material and engage said contacts for sounding an alarm.

5. The structure set forth in claim 4, said resilient means comprising a rubber band engaging said member and a portion of said frame, said portion being disposed between said rounded end of said member and said semi-cylindrical portion of said frame.

6. A device for preventing bed wetting having in combination a frame, a member reciprocal longitudinally in same frame, a piece of flexible sheet material having substantial tensile strength when dry but having substantially no tensile strength when wet, extending about said member and a portion of said frame, a resilient means engaging said frame and member acting to move said member longitudinally and against the resistance of said material, electrical contacts adapted to be brought into engagement upon movement of said member, a housing extending about said frame and parts carried thereby, the same having a flange at one end forming a ledge for supporting said frame and said parts, said housing having an open side through which said material is exposed and means for supporting said housing upon the body of the patient with said open side adjacent the urinating organ so that when said material is wetted said member will be moved to rupture said material and engage said contacts for sounding an alarm.

FRANK H. JACOBSON. 

